Reyes and Besecker repeat top awards, Barton Volleyball lands six on All-KJCCC/Region 6 post-season selection list #GoBarton

Six members of the 7th ranked Barton Community College volleyball team were named to the All-KJCCC/Region 6 selection list.

A pair of Cougars repeated as top award winners, outside hitter Phoebe Reyes named the Player of the Year with second-year Head Coach Megan Besecker earning the Coach of the Year honor.

Joining Reyes on the 1st Team were repeat earners Kassidy Nixon and Anna Wierzbicki in being joined by freshman Aubrey Olander. Landing on the 2nd Team and earning post-season accolades for the second consecutive year was Elena Stankovic with freshman Mina Kaneko also joining the top twenty player list.

The selections helped the Cougars to their second consecutive KJCCC title winning the league with a 15-1 record. Hosting the Region 6/Plains District Tournament also for the second straight year, Barton held serve this year on their home court in sweeping through its matches for its first title since 2020.

Advancing to its 24th NJCAA National Tournament appearance, the 6th seeded Cougars swept its opening pair of matches until getting derailed in the semifinal match for an eventual 4th place national finish and a 33-4 overall record.

Complete list of All-KJCCC/Region 6 selections

Megan Besecker - Head Coach of the Year
Bringing back a host of talented sophomores while adding key freshmen contributors, Besecker orchestrated the combination to 26 straight-set victories during the regular season including twelve during conference play.

Compiling a 58-10 record in her first two seasons as a head coach, Besecker was also honored this year being named to the 2024 "Thirty Under 30" award list as announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) recognizing the top thirty coaches across all levels around the country under the age of 30.

Phoebe Reyes – Player of the Year, 1st Team
Reyes becomes the program's latest two-time POY award winner, following Mylena Testoni's double awards coming from the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Native of San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic, Reyes played just three rotations of the Cougars' 6-2 offensive scheme but still ranked fourth in the KJCCC at 3.51 kills per set on a .271 attack percentage helping the squad overall to a league leading .259 efficiency.

As the Cougars swept 23 of their 30 matches during the regular season, Reyes' 91 sets played produced 3.21 kills per set on a .288 efficiency, reached double-digit kills in fourteen of the contests posting a season high .450 efficient night at then No. 6 Colby and a pair of 18-kill performances, the first at Butler with two dates later at home against Colby.

Kassidy Nixon – 1st Team
The Cougars' most versatile player on the court for all six rotations, Nixon again was selected as a first team recipient.

Second on the squad with 2.67 kills per set in KJCCC play, the Claflin, Kansas, native led with .44 aces per set while additionally contributing a team second best 3.69 digs per set ranking 8th overall in the league but was tops among non-libero players.

A Week 11 KJCCC Offensive Player of the Week, overall Nixon recorded 13 double-doubles with season highs of a .588 attack against Frank Phillips, 8 aces served up on Otero, and 17 kills on then-No. 10 Indian Hills in their regular season meeting.

Having her initial season as Cougar cut short after just three matches, Nixon returned for a pair of solid all-around seasons producing 582 kills, 71 aces, 77 blocks, and a program 9th most ever 747 digs.

Anna Wierzbicki – 1st Team
Also a repeat first team selection, the native of Chapadao do Ceu, GO, Brazil, gave the Cougars another solid season in the middle net position.

Attacking at a team second best .338 to rank 7th in conference action, Wierzbicki was top fifteen defensively at .78 blocks per set on five solo and 33 assisted blocks.

Overall, Wierzbicki had twenty-six matches of six or more kills, a season high 11 three times, and exceeded three blocks in eleven matches including 8 in victory at Dodge City.

Aubrey Olander – 1st Team
If it wasn't Wierzbicki doing damage from the middle then it was certainly Olander providing Barton a potent 1-2 punch in earning first team honors.

Olander's performances all season were anything like a first-year competitor as the freshman from Little River, Kansas, immediately made an impact in posting a .417 attack with 8 blocks in her collegiate debut.

Carried into the conference season, Olander led the league with a .380 efficiency on 142 attacks, was 5th on a 1.09 blocks per set, and ranked within the top ten in solo blocks (6) and assisted blocks (41).

Ranking 13th nationally in hitting percentage and blocks per set, Olander's season highs were a .833 attack on 12 swings at Hutchinson and 8 blocks against Trinidad and Indian Hills as part of her 20 matches with four or more blocks.

Elena Stankovic – 2nd Team
Stankovic led the first wave of Barton's 6-2 offensive attack with 6.15 assists per set in teaming with Maurin Reyes to produce a league leading .259 efficiency resulting in 13.44 assists per set.

An honorable mention selection last year, the native of Cajetina, Serbia, recorded two of her four double-doubles during the conference slate.

A Week 10 KJCCC Setter of the Week, Stankovic reached double-digit assists in all conference matches and added 22 serving aces ranking in the top ten of the league at .40 per set.

Mina Kaneko – 2nd Team
One of two freshmen for Barton on the post-season list, Kaneko was a mainstay in the Cougars' backline.

Donning the libero jersey all year, the Katsushika-ku, Tokyo, Japan, native recorded a league 7th best 4.25 digs per set including a career high 28 digs against Garden City earning the Week 10 KJCCC Defensive Player of the Week.

In addition to anchoring the defensive backline, Kaneko was also third on the team in assists per set (1.10) and served up 20 aces in the sixteen matches helping Barton rank second overall at 2.48 aces per set.